"The decisions a political leader makes can determine the fate of a nation, but what determines how and why that person arrives at certain choices? William H. Chafe, a distinguished historian of twentieth century America, examines some of the most significant political leaders of the modern era in order to explore the relationship between their personal patterns of behavior and their political decision-making process. The result is a look at how personal lives and political fortunes have intersected to shape America over the past fifty years."--BOOK JACKET.